Medication in solid form such as tablets, pills, capsules or the like are sometimes dispensed to patients in dispensers having blister packages therein which include individually sealed blisters or compartments designed to hold a single dose of medication. Such packages permit the handling of only a single dose of medicine at a time and minimize the risk of contamination of the tablet, pill or capsule. Other dispensers do not include blister packages. Such dispensers are exemplified by various forms.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,971,683, issued Feb. 14, 1961, discloses a dispenser which in one form is circular and includes a number of compartments for tablets or pills. An outlet opening or aperture is included in a portion of the dispenser and as the dispenser is rotated, a pill is dispensed through the opening as each compartment is positioned over the opening. In another form, the pills are retained in compartments which are in line in a sheet and as the sheet is moved to place the compartments in line with an outlet opening, the pills are dispensed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,199,489, issued Aug. 10, 1965, discloses a container for medicament in the form of pills and which are to be administered at specific intervals. The pills are retained in a circular configuration and are dispensed by pressing out through an easily tearable foil.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,649, issued May 24, 1983, discloses a medicament dispensing package including a blister pack and cover and an outer shell wherein the blister pack has multiple pockets for receiving medicament, and the outer shell has means for sealing the cover around the pocket of the blister pack. The package is reusable and the blister pack is disposable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,991, issued Apr. 28, 1987, discloses a dispenser for storing and signaling the time for taking drugs. The dispenser includes an electrical push button which acts on the blister pockets in the direction of ejection. Each blister pocket has a corresponding electrical push button.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,504,788, issued Apr. 7, 1970, discloses a three component package including a press through packet or blister pack, a tray to support the packet and an outer sheath to protect the packet and tray.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,171, issued Dec. 28, 1971, discloses a tablet dispenser including a parallel series of columns of tablets. The number of columns being equal to the number of medicament doses to be dispensed within a specified time period.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,866, issued Mar. 6, 1990, discloses a device for dispensing pills in successive order. The pills are retained in a single row in the desired successive order and a pill ejector is arranged for incremental movement in one direction along the dispenser. When the pill ejector is adjacent to a pill, a bendable member is displaced to push the pill out of a blister type package and through an opening in the rear of the dispenser.